The President, the First Lady, and the White House staff observe a moment of silence on Monday morning. White House photo by Pete Souza.

This week in Washington, D.C., was supposed to be all about health care reform, with Republicans calling for a complete repeal of the new law and Democrats mounting a vigorous defense of their signature legislative achievement of 2010. But all of that was set aside over the weekend when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D.,- Ariz.) and 19 others were shot outside of a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz.

Now, members of Congress are reflecting on the violence and the need for civility, and legislative business is on hold for the week. It’s unclear when the House will vote on the proposed repeal of health reform and whether the debate will have a different tone in the wake of this shooting.

Listen to this week’s Policy & Practice Podcast for the latest health reform developments, including value-based purchasing for hospitals and trends in health spending.